READERSROOM: Hello Nancy, and welcome to ReadersRoom.com. Thanks for joining us.
NANCY: Thank you for inviting me. I'm happy to be here.
READERSROOM: First off, you started out in romance before you moved to mystery with The Bad Hair Day Mysteries. Did you find the transition between genres to be difficult?
NANCY: I was already putting mysteries into my romance novels. In fact, Keeper of the Rings contains a mystery that's very much like a cozy murder scenario. There's a lot of crossover today between the genres, too. Mystery authors use romance subplots, and romance authors write romantic suspense.
READERSROOM: So the crossover to "pure" mystery wasn't difficult for you?
NANCY: No, it was a refreshing change.
READERSROOM: Did you find that fans of your romance work took to your mysteries? Or did you find yourself with a new and different audience?
NANCY: I market to both mystery and romance readers. My books have enough humor and romance that they have a broader appeal, I hope, than a hard-edged mystery novel. Actually, I found it helpful in promoting my new series that I already had a reader base and a mailing list for independent booksellers.
READERSROOM: Do you find the disciplines to be different when writing a mystery as opposed to a romance novel?
NANCY: There are a lot of differences when changing genres. Reader expectations, tone, and language are some of the variables. The slant at conferences is different, too. That was my most difficult adjustment. I love plotting mysteries and figuring out the complexities of the story.
READERSROOM: The heroine of the Bad Hair Day mysteries, Marla Shore, is a beauty shop owner. Why did you choose such a unique profession for your mystery solver?
NANCY: Because I can't do my own hair! Seriously, who hasn't been in a hair salon? As a background setting, a salon holds universal appeal. A stylist has to be a good listener and meets a lot of people, good qualifications for a sleuth. I've learned a great deal about the profession and highly respect hairstylists for what they do.
READERSROOM: Marla is very family and socially oriented. How much do you draw on your own family and circumstances to create your characters?
NANCY: My daughter says my books are autobiographical. As a writer, you tend to draw from people and events that happen to you. Many of my personal experiences make their way into my books.
READERSROOM: In each book you seem to address a different social issue. In Murder by Manicure you took on animal testing, and swimming pool safety has been a recurring theme in your books. Do you deal with causes that are important to you, or just those that fit into your stories?
NANCY: Drowning is the number one cause of death for children ages four and under in South Florida. It's an important issue and a preventable tragedy. In the newspaper today is a piece about a toddler who drowned in his babysitter's pool. As for the other issues, I pick something I want to learn about. My next book deals with the citrus canker eradication program. If I wasn't interested in these issues, I wouldn't put them in my books just for the sake of the story. I enjoy the research, too. Learning something new with each book is what makes the story unique for me.
READERSROOM: Yes, your next book, Highlights to Heaven is due to be released soon. Can you tell us a bit about it?
NANCY: In Highlights to Heaven, Marla's neighbor Goat is missing and there's a dead body in his house. Marla doesn't think he's guilty, but you know detective Vail will be on his trail. There are scenes in Mount Dora and Siesta Key. I like to showcase some of my favorite Florida weekend getaways. Highlights to Heaven also deals with the pet fur trade.
READERSROOM: Hair Raiser, Body Wave, Permed to Death -- did you come up with your own titles and, if so, how much fun did you have with that?
NANCY: Oh, I love my titles. Yes, they are all my originals, and I can keep going as long as Kensington will let me. I have lots more fun titles to go!
READERSROOM: Let's talk a little about how you write. Do you have a set schedule?
NANCY: I work in the mornings until I've completed five pages. I have to complete a chapter per week. Sometimes I may get ahead of schedule or just spend the extra time on promotion.
READERSROOM: Do you do your research while you are writing, or do you research first and then build the story around it?
NANCY: Usually, I have to do some preliminary research. For example, I'm beginning to plot Dead Roots. This will be the seventh book in my series. I have looked up the Russian Revolution, Alexandrite stones and nesting dolls, and haunted Florida hotels. For my sixth book, I went to Cassadaga Florida on a research trip after I wrote the scene. I'd been there for a quick drive through but this time stayed overnight and consulted with a psychic for a reading. Then I came home and filled in the details in my story.
READERSROOM: Do you do most of your research on the Internet?
NANCY: I use a mixture of Internet research, personal interviews, and on-site visits.
READERSROOM: One thing I have noticed about the first four books in the series is the time frame. It appears that less than a year has passed between book one and book four. Is there any particular reason for this, or just the way it plotted out in your head?
NANCY: My stories follow in chronological order, so only a few months may pass in between books. I guess it's because Marla's life is real to me, and these are the events that are meaningful to her.
READERSROOM: It certainly helps make the budding romance between Marla and Vail more believable.
NANCY: Thanks, their relationship is progressing as I imagine it would in real-life.
READERSROOM: What would you say is the highlight of your writing career thus far?
NANCY: Receiving letters from readers is the best part of having my books published. It means a lot that I can help someone escape from their troubles for a few hours. If readers can learn something from my stories, all the better, but my goal is to entertain.
READERSROOM: Yes, I noticed that in the "Author's Notes" in the back of your books, you invite your readers to write to you?
NANCY: I have notebooks filled with readers' letters. I keep every one of them and answer them personally, including e-mails. They provide inspiration for me when doubts set in.
READERSROOM: Is there anything you would like to say to your readers, who may be reading this?
NANCY: Thank you for your support, and please keep reading!
READERSROOM: Okay Nancy, thank you so much for joining us today! Oh, before we leave, when is Highlights to Heaven due to be released?
NANCY: Highlights to Heaven will be out in December. I just put the book cover up on my web site. Go to: www.nancyjcohen.com
READERSROOM: Excellent -- we'll be looking forward to it. Thank you again for your time!
NANCY: For anyone who's interested, I've dictated this using Dragon Naturally Speaking Preferred version 5. Thank you for inviting me!
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